Jun

Yes me and my wife was contemplating about it due to her health issues. Having sold my old R34 Skyline and likely to sell her Cayenne in the summer; For now we have decided to keep her M5, but if the right offer comes we are open to the idea of letting it go. My wife is doing better now, in fact last Sunday's meeting up and breakfast with fellow BMWs was her first time to eat out in months. So we are likely to keep the M5 as long as we can. @Mantic you can see my start of journey on the thread below, some info there maybe useful in considering if E60 M5 is a car you would want to own I have a thread regarding our ownership, which I update every now and then. This guy in youtube is a good follow as well, fun fact when I bought our M5 there was 4 M5 at the dealer. I picked ours out of the 4, while a few weeks after he picked the other one which he currently owns. https://www.youtube.com/c/MTechGuy I think the M5 E60 is a great car, but its not for everyone. What I think was the best thing about the ownership is not the car, but rather the people you get to know while owning the car. People here in bimmersport, mechanics that will service your car and general car community.

Page European and Mike Page are not the same. Yes Mike used to own Page European years ago, he sold it, then it got sold again. From what I gather after the 2nd sale things started to get a bit spotty. Mike opened shop again in Paraparaumu because is lives nearby, I guess he can't tell them not use his name anymore as selling it gave the name as well.

a bit off-topic my reply above is the 100,000 post btw would be curious to see BYD Atto3 in the flesh, especially the interior. It's a bit funky for our taste, but I guess maybe it would different on the flesh. The $50k after the rebate is very good value... maybe. You can buy 2 Atto3 and have change for the price of 1 i4

Jon of Auto 38 has closed now, he was our independent mechanic for our M5. Most people here with BMW use him in Wellington. I have used Powerhaus afterwards, I have used them before for our Cayenne and now M5 is looked after by Reuben of Powerhaus. They are very good with several jobs I did with them, a bit on the expensive side and wait times are long. Mike Page is also a very good one if you at Kapiti. I didn't see good reviews of Continental dealer in the service dept, so even with routine jobs for the M5 I didn't use them. Don't expect much for the trade-in value, I gave our Cayenne a try. Was only offered $4k for it, since I have put a lot of parts already for it and no known current issues. We do use it for off-road occasionally which an EV can't do, so I think our Cayenne will do more off-road duties as we try to sell it privately. In my opinion I think sell the car as is, pretty sure the enthusiast who gets it next will figure things out.

7 cars and only 6 owners?

It's a nice car, I probably understand a bit. Here is my opinion about it (just opinion, yours will vary). - if you are still enjoying the car even just used once a week/month. AND you don't need the money. AND not expecting it to appreciate. Just keep on enjoying it. - if you are not enjoying it. AND need the money OR can use the money for something you would enjoy more. Sell it to the price you want it. - cars are generally bad investments, but some get lucky My background on the my opinion above. We bought a R34 GTT Skyline long time ago (almost 2 decades ago), I really liked it a lot. I tried to sell it several times (3 times), my wife knew that I enjoyed it a lot so she discouraged me to sell it on those times. Fast forward about 2022, we are not using the car too much... have definitely enjoyed the car through the years and my wife is not doing well health wise. We decided to sell it, luckily the value has appreciated 2x our purchase price. Actually a dealer bought it sight unseen, just photos and seemed they have sold in quickly for a better price (that is ok, we wanted a hassle free transaction as we didn't have time on our hands to do private sale). So for our M5 we are less attached to it, I tried to sell it (1 time already). My wife said to just keep it and enjoy it, so I guess we will follow the same route as the Skyline. Enjoy it while I can, then when we can't or need the money we will sell it.

Has anybody used it for Japanese cars? Is there a difference with Japanese cars aside from the navigation? Our M5 is a Japanese import. I would prefer for someone who has coded a Japanese based bmw, and pay them. As it's a one time code anyway, but I couldn't get anyone locally in Wellington to do it.

Saw this 850ci this morning. I am only aware of @treone 840i as the 8-series on Wellington.

We had a quick look at the i4 e40. Here is our quick take on it: - it's probably one of the best/better EV in the market as a drivers car. However compared to our M5, it's very much softer even on sports mode. I am not sure if the i4 had adaptive suspension, I think all M spec version should be fitted with one. It did feel stiffer on sports mode. - acceleration from standstill is really good even if its just e40, in fact for me 300-400 hp is what I prefer for a street car. More than that is not fun in the public road, so the 340hp e40 variant is on the sweet spot. However I can say beyond 80km/h the M5 V10 is very much competitive or better - it's interior is great, the screen is great (not as fluid as a Tesla though). The seats (it didn't have the most expensive optioned seat) are actually better than a normal car but its actually not as nice as the old leather seats of the M5 both feel and support (however I got my M5 seats dialed to me already, so maybe if I spend more time on i4 it could be just as good) - the individual dravit grey paint is so much better over brooklyn grey (there was a M440i beside it on with this color), this is probably the best color for a i4, M4, M3 or 4 series. The big kidney livable with this color. - hans zimmer sound on the i4 for me actually makes it better, unlike other EVs which has no sound or very cheesy sound. But I guess it's no substitute for ICE sound, especially from a V10 NA - the driving assistance is good, or I like it as it seems to be less intrusive. btw the AEB got tested, a ute cut us off and slowed down aggressively. Not sure why, because we on an EV or BMW... or both. I think i4 e40 is a great choice if you want a drivers car EV, the e40 is also very efficient close to a Tesla Model 3. However it's very costly, at almost $120k for the example we tested. For $120k, you can get a M5 ($40k) and Tesla Model Y ($80k - $9 subsidy) plus some change. If you had $120k, which would you pick? P.S. Thank you to G. Yang of Continental cars BMW, he is great to chat with.

Just some updates. M5 developed a small leak on the diff, I had a look and diagnosed the leak is from the pinion seal. Bought some parts from FCP Euro, they where actually very cheap. Decided for the upgraded Corteco seal as its advertised to be better and fixes the design flaw of the original BMW seal. Since Auto 38 has closed, we decided to use Powerhaus as Mike Page is too far away. We have used Powerhaus for our Cayenne before, they are very good although long wait times and they are on the expensive side. However their work is always top-notch and always give you the honest diagnosis. We also asked them to replace the SMG hydraulic, gear oil, diff oil and brake fluid. Diff oil was replaced with Liqui Moly, however even though this advertised to be in spec with the LSD diff. Some LSD BMW diff may need more friction modifiers, TSB: SIB330102 which required the fluid that had more FM. Our car seems to have this binding issue, so we decided to add some RedLine Friction Modifiers, which worked really well. Pretty much all fluids are now replaced, all consumables on the car are almost new.

I used to build/assemble drones when they where not fashionable and buying fully assembled was still inferior. However after CAA rule changes and DJI really making great products, I just repurposed my drone camera (which are actually just action cameras) to the cars. Most of the action cams can be programmed to start recording when you they get power, then power down after. I think most action cam are pretty good, my really old Xiaomi action cam is still working. Actually bought a replacement battery for it recently as I noticed old battery has a slight bulge already. Xiaomi, Mobius and SJCAM (real ones, lots of fake ones listed) are pretty good cameras most of them are at par with Go-Pro or better. I think the dedicated dashcam are sleeker in design and some have the both front and reverse cam, however you can use your action cam for other things. I have also put them on the Skyline's bumper when we did our South Island trip years ago. You may also want to use not 4k, so you can have more footage on the sd card. I only use 1080p, so I can get like 8 hour footage and select from there. I only used dashcam once for an accident (it wasn't even us), a footage of an accident. Most of the time I just hyperlapse it post-process or take cuts for from it and add them to our trip video. Low-light performance is probably a better quality to look for. All those local cameras are manufactured and designed in China. Some of the Chinese products are the best you can buy, case in point DJI.

Nice POV of a stock E60 M5, especially how brutal the shifts are. I think this video is the best one I have seen on conveying how it drives, I haven't experienced the high speed runs though. You can only realistically use 1-3rd gear in NZ on high rpms. Still a fun car though, especially the fact that it can be a practical cruiser for trips.

Yes you can. Buy a cheap BMW, any condition will do AND Buy another newer BMW as the reliable car I think most of ownership experience here is expensive AND reliable enough.

Thanks for the kind words @SmithyInWelly in this weird times we are in. I guess that "health is wealth" cliche isn't something you think about until it becomes real. Yes timing the market is not possible. I actually looked at selling our R34 three times over the decade, but my wife keeps in discouraging it. As we really enjoy the car still, how lucky for us when we needed to sell it there are still buyers for it 2-3x more than our purchase price. We where also lucky enough even with a dealers price cut who purchased the R34 sight unseen and very quick transaction. Either they already had a buyer already, or they knew they can sell the R34 much higher than current market prices. The cars are not as precious to us now, they are still very enjoyable still. Had it been a year ago we would not let go of them for anything other than silly money. Having a few nights sleep on it made me decide not to list on trademe. I feel there is too much energy and time in entertaining trademe buyers. I would leave this post for anyone to read in the future, or like you if you encounter someone who gets the V10 bug they can look at digging out this post. Maybe we get to sell in 1 month, 1 year or 1 decade.... who knows. Thanks love the community around the cars, I think that is what is best about the ownership of these cars.

As some of you know, we purchased a E60 M5 a few years ago. Bimmersport has been with us throughout the journey of finding/hunting for a M5: And been posting about the ownership journey every now and then: This year me and my wife have decided to let go of our cars, due to changing circumstances. Sadly sold our R34 which we owned for 16 years a few weeks back. We are as well contemplating on selling my wife's M5. I have seen on trademe E60 M5 being sold from mid $30ks to $40ks. We have a natural bias on our car, also having spent a lot on it (see thread above). Just a quick glance of the current listing in trademe, none of them has a similar combination of low-milage (64k kms), replaced all major E60 issues/consumables and option/trim level. We are lucky enough that we don't need the funds urgently, however if we find the right buyer and price we have made up our mind to let go of it. Thinking of listing on trademe, but I guess the price we are after is more than the current listings. I am already spent a good deal of time prepping and selling our R34. I don't have time and energy to sell another car. Or should I just list on trademe and see how it goes?

Looking at this a bit, seems I can probably repair this myself. Seen a few bad stories/review about replacements, etc. I would imagine the workmanship isn't going to be that great when it's replaced. Repair kits are just like $35, I am pretty ok with these kind of things. Question is if I repaired it myself and it doesn't really workout, can I still claim under insurance? The complicated issue is the dark spot, likely the film in between.

Driving near Martinborough yesterday, so nice cars (Corvettes, TVR, minis, RX7, etc.) on the opposite traffic. One of cars probably picked up a stone, so as we passed by one another a stone hit our windshield (no this is not the M5, another car). Anyway I have a $500 excess on windshield, it seems new policy doesn't have free windshield excess. Just reduced excess, our standard excess is $1,000. Put here a photo, I think this needs a repair definitely. I know these days the repairs are really slow, due to supply chain issues. Looking for the following advice: - Best replacement shop in Wellington? I know Smith and Smith but that is based from the commercials I have seen through the years. I would want a place that knows how to properly replace it, weather strips, etc. - I don't think it can be repaired anymore, dark spot is like a film in between the glass. Externally there isn't a lot of damage when you feel the hands, damage is in between the glass. Likely the glass is 2 or more layers. - I would want it temporarily repaired I think, so it doesn't go bigger as we wait. I believe the wait times now are in the months Any other comments/advice that would be useful, I will call the insurance claim tomorrow.

Oh another shop that I used is Powerhaus, are associated with Porsche brand however they do a lot of euro cars. However their rates are close to dealership, but I can say they are very good. Their wait times is in the months though. I had one long term weird problem with our Cayenne, Reuben had easily diagnosed it just a broken hose. While most shops turned down to diagnose it or assumed it to be a bigger repair bill. $70 fix. While they were at it, they also noticed somethings wasn't right with oil pressure. Unfortunately when I had the AOS replaced as preventative maintenance, the procedure was so easy that it was overlooked being incorrectly assembled by another mechanic. It's good to have a 2nd opinion also that mechanics are not 100% always correct then they can make mistakes. Highly recommend Powerhaus if you can wait for a long time as well as afford the above average rates... I certainly can't that is why I do some of the simple repairs myself.

Oh didn't know about this. I was planning to do a few more things with the M5 with Jon. @E28E30 Mike Page of Mike Page European (not Page European, that was the company he sold) at Paraparaumu is reputed to be the best BMW mechanic is Wellington. It's a bit of a drive, I only went there once for post sale inspection. Then all of my work was done by Jon of Auto 38. I know a few owners here despite Mike's location bring their cars there, Chris E46 M3 CSL from what I understand goes there on a trailer. If you want a honest and competent mechanic I use Cary Moore at Petone for my Skyline and Prado. Still a bit of a drive for me, but been using him over a decade. He isn't as obsessive as Jon, but does a good job. He doesn't do any big jobs (engine out, etc.), I think he is tired of his racing days of Skylines.

Better yet put up a real camera. These days the cameras are very capable (image recognition) and cheap for its price. Probably about a decade ago I would setup my own server, camera, etc. I am a bit older and I have deemed this to be low priority. My wife has been bugging me about it for years, we live on a relatively quiet cul de sac too. Everyone knows everybody, however things are getting been not so good for past few years. 1 of our neighbors was burglarized.... during the 1st lockdown last year some weirdo went to our property and my son confronted him. Gladly one of our neighbors suspected something wasn't right and was able to take the photo of person and car. Anyway this is a sample clip of the recently released Nest Camera (battery) https://store.google.com/nz/product/nest_cam_battery?hl=en-GB The image quality is ok, not the best but it's ability to sift through what is important and noise is very good and useful. Local AI image processing is super fast. Putting this up for a few hours and I will take it down (please don't share the link). Just to convince a few of you that spending a few $ and probably just 15 mins to install it is sure worth it. I have procrastinated on this, but I think best do it now while in lockdown. You can also see how crappy the SMG on low speed [edit: link removed]

Not sure, but rod bearing issues also existed on older M cars (S engines). However they aren't as prevalent as the S85 and S65, as their rod bearings have super thin tolerance, high revving engines, etc. As with any performance car like the M cars, always budget for things. This is easier said than done, I myself budgeted, etc. However when you are on that spot, for me it wasn't as easy. Good thing is that after doing the big jobs, it's slightly feels better. Having a community around the cars is definitely the best part of owning this eclectic cars.

No worries. Although my wife owns the faster cars: M5 and Cayenne she is a pretty slow driver. Usually only drives locally and brings my mom out on a good day.

@Michael. I have to agree with aja540i here. I have done really a lot of research before we bought our M5, there is no data that concludes the rod bearing will not wear if care it taken. It does help, but doesn't stop it. I saw one M5 owner who had done proper oil changes and adding ceratec for years. I can't recall from new, but definitely he had the car for a bit before he replaced the rod bearings. The rod bearings was in better shape, but definitely worn. It looked similar to ours, but a bit better. There are also those that have done 2nd rod bearing replacements by (forgot his name, but from what I read he has done in the several dozen rod bearing replacements). They are a tuning shop and have done lots of S85 and S65 tuning. They tried to also look at what happened on the 2nd set. He has recommended his customer to use a particular oil and lower viscosity. Initially some people told him that should not be done, but I think that particular oil is close to the original 10w60 Castrol when it's hot. In fact if that was easily available locally I would probably use that personally. You get a better cold viscosity and almost the same viscosity of the original Castrol oil. I think the 2nd rod bearings set showed better wear, but it didn't NOT stop it from being worn down. TLDR; rod bearing wear is part of the ownership of S65 and S85, but I think it is not as bad to what most people think. I wasn't planning to replace ours, my original plan was when it was close to 100k kms. But things went differently, long story... in the end it worked out better than I expected.